We love bikes! Naturally, one of our first projects set out to make the iconic bike frame into the lightest and stiffest incarnation on the road and because we can, we'll do it for less money than other high end frames.

Ronin Bicycle Works' frames utilize innovative sheet metal folding to break out of the circular mold. The iconic cross-cut style is unmistakable, enables exciting geometries and lets us use the same joining technique as cutting edge car chassis.

With Ronin Metal Master technology, the frame material can be chosen by function, whether it be titanium, aluminum, magnesium or steel and the thickness can be chosen for stiffness, not weldability. Our no welds policy means Ronin Bicycle Works' frames can go thinner without sacrificing robustness at the joints. "The yield strength of aluminum goes down by half once its welded," explains Richard Rackham, vehicle architect at Lotus (see Automotive Design and Production, April 2004).

Prototype #1, made from Al6061-T6, went together in a snap, rides like a rocket and weighs in just over 3 pounds. Ronin Bicycle Works' frames are designed in San Francisco and proudly manufactured in the USA.